Thursday, January 14, 2010

Tokyo, which is Japan's largest city and its capital has a population of over 12 million people. Everyday, the streets are packed with people, the usual hectic city life. A few weeks back, I came across this article on japanese capsule hotels. The name itself caught my attraction as it seemed unique.
Image source: Planetbetterplace

These type of hotels were meant to be stayed in for short term periods. However, due to the high cost of living in Japan, many people have made this their permanent home as it is the cheapest option, for $30 per night. In our Malaysian currency, that's about 100 ringgit and we can easily put up in a decent hotel. Japan's different as everything is pretty pricey there I guess, never been there. These capsule hotels basically look like human size version of pegion holes, it has a bed, tv and locker and common washrooms. In actual fact, the gap between the rich and the poor is very large in Japan. Many people are unable to afford to rent or buy a home, thus Japanese Capsule Hotels are thriving. Land is very scarce due to the limited area in Japan, thus driving up property and landed assets. Below is a video with a Japanese citizens on his daily life and making capsule hotels his home.